Canada: Carney, Premiers Meet on Nation-Building Projects

Canada: Carney, Premiers Meet on Nation-Building Projects
Above: Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks during the First Ministers' Meeting in Ottawa, Canada, on March 21, 2025. Image copyright: DAVE CHAN/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images

The Spin

Pro-government narrative

This week’s First Ministers’ Meeting felt like a reset. After years of performative politics under Trudeau, premiers finally met a prime minister focused on results. Carney’s serious, policy-driven approach — open to pipelines and nation-building — shows what’s possible when Ottawa leads with competence, not ideology. Real progress starts with grown-up government.

Government-critical narrative

The Carney government’s new rhetoric on energy marks a clear departure from Trudeau-era obstruction — but words alone aren’t enough. While talk of pipelines and fast-tracked nation-building projects is encouraging, investors won’t commit until Ottawa repeals laws like C-69 and the net-zero power mandate. Without real legislative change, this shift risks being more spin than substance.

Cynical narrative

When premiers start calling the prime minister “Santa Claus” — as Ontario's Doug Ford did — it’s not a sign of unity; it’s a red flag. This kind of over-the-top praise usually signals backroom bargaining, not genuine progress. All this feel-good talk of nation-building may just be a prelude to entrenched interests jockeying for cash, not compromise. Let’s not mistake flattery for function.

Metaculus Prediction


Public Figures


The Controversies


Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters
Sign Up for Our Free Newsletters

Sign Up!
Sign Up Now!